HIRING A WEB DEVELOPER - THINGS TO CONSIDER

Choosing a web developer is not much different than choosing any other service. Ask friends for referral and always get several quotes, you will find that web service prices vary greatly, some large companies in Calgary will charge you in the order of $1000 per web page, others as low $20\page. Price is only one of the things you need to consider.

Who owns the design? Make sure you request a contract in writing that spells out the deliverables, costs and time table - this is for your protection. Also make sure that you own the files when the site is finished especially if it involves Flash or database programming. When the site is finished request a back up of the web site on CD and insist that it include all the work files i.e. photoshop images, templates and Flash (.fla) files. You paid for the services so they should belong to you including any custom programming.

Ask what does it cost to update and or modify your web site in the future?

Ask if your web developer adds meta tags and whether they include search engine registration or are the costs of search engine optimization extra? No matter how good your site looks if people can't find it then it you won't have a good return on your investment.

Most importantly - make sure you get a written contract that specifies what will be delivered, when it will be delivered and who owns what!

If you want to maintain the site yourself does the web developer provide training?

WHAT YOU SHOULD BRING WITH YOU TO A MEETING

Here are some things you can do to prepare for you meeting with a web developer?

1) Define the purpose of the your web site: marketing, selling, education or some combination thereof.

2) Define your audience - this influences the design and layout.

3) Draw a rough layout of your web site using a box diagram in order to identify the main sections e.g. welcome, about us, links, contact us.

4) Look at some web sites and identify ones that you like - record the URL's of these sites and bring them with you.

5) Gather together text, pictures, logos and any other marketing materials you might already be using.

6) If you have a logo and color scheme in mind - bring it with you.

7) Do you have an Internet provider, hosting package, domain name? If not your web developer may offer hosting or suggest a hosting company. A domain name i.e. www.yourcompany.com or .net .org etc must be registered each year and you can only have it if it is available.

8) If you are considering selling your products on-line there are many ways to do this, some are economical others can be quite expensive.

More Questions? If you would like to find out more or have specific questions about our web services please contact us and we would be happy to answer any questions you might have.